Vongola's Fragilities
by Rainy Paradise
Summary: Tsuna left them without a trace. Bitter and angry, they turned their backs on him and on each other, and their lives went on. Years later, a chance to rebuild their destroyed bonds appears. The choice is up to them and, depending on their decisions, Vongola Co. will either fall apart or climb to the very top. AU. CEO!Tsuna.
1. Chapter 1: Beginnings and Endings

**Disclaimer: Katekyo Hitman Reborn! is not mine whatsoever… -sobs- Only the plot and OCs in this story are mine. This disclaimer is valid for this entire FANfiction, because I am a lazy idiot who hates writing disclaimers for every single chapter.**

**This story has been… UNBETA'ED. Uh-oh.**

-x-x-x-

With a loud roar and a shaky bump, the plane took off from the brightly lit runway into the air. Tsuna winced when he felt the pressure in his ears release with a_ pop! _as they adjusted to the rapidly changing air pressure. When the mandatory safety announcement started playing on the screen in front of him, he ignored it, and opted to stare out at the dark night through his window. The twinkling city lights of Paris quickly shrank underneath him, turning into tiny specks in the night as he looked on.

He wished he could see the stars.

When the announcement finished, he glanced at his watch. 11:47. He'd be back at the main Milan office by 1 in the morning, he supposed. He slumped into the seat. After a long day of negotiations with the ShimonCorp representative, he was dead tired. At least, Tsuna mused, the negotiations had gone well. Hopefully he'd made a good impression as Vongola's representative and heir. He was looking forward to working with them as business partners in the future, and French coffee with Enma had been nice as well. The image of the red-haired man he'd met today flitted across his mind. Like Tsuna himself, Enma was also the heir-in-training to ShimonCorp, so he hoped that both of their businesses would run smoothly in the future.

He leaned his chair back and finally relaxed for the first time all day. Thank god Nono insisted on only the best for him- first class seats were quite comfortable.

-x-x-x-

"How were the negotiations?"

Tsuna looked up from the papers he'd been focused on. "If they hadn't went along smoothly, I'm sure you would be holding me at gunpoint on the railing of my balcony by now," he grinned.

"Che, such cheek." Reborn's dark eyes glinted as he slowly reached a hand inside his suit jacket.

Beads of sweat started to gather on Tsuna's forehead. "A-ah, no, I mean they went along s-smoothly."

He gulped and stiffened in his chair. If not for his- stupid- witty words earlier, surely Reborn would shoot him for his stuttering- a habit that he'd almost, just almost, gotten rid of. Why, oh why, did he forget to turn off his "cool boss mode" now, of all times? The gun was cocked by a practiced hand- of course, his gun was never in safety- and Reborn was taking aim when a sudden knock at the door interrupted the scene. Tsuna shifted his eyes from the gun in his face and collapsed onto his desk, calling out a weak, "Who's there?"

"Mr. Sawada, the president is here to see you," the peppy voice that could only belong to his secretary answered.

Reborn tsked and Tsuna let out a relieved sigh as the gun disappeared back into the hidden depths of the black jacket. He got up and walked over to the large double doors, and upon their opening, found himself staring at the kind, elderly face of the Vongola CEO and his secretary, Lydia. The comely secretary bowed slightly to her employer as Timoteo stepped inside and gently shut the door behind him. The sound of heels click clacking against the smooth marble outside in the hallway faded away.

"Nono, sir, what brings you to my office so late?" he said as he glanced at his watch. It was four in the morning, and he hadn't even realized- time always flew when he had so much work to do.

"Because I knew you wouldn't stop working and rest unless I came along," he smiled, then switched smoothly from Italian to French. "Tsunayoshi, I know the official naming ceremony is coming up soon, but that doesn't mean you should be working yourself so hard. It won't do you or the company any good if you collapse anytime soon," he said, gesturing at the stacks of paper scattered all over the desk.

Tsuna thought it would be best to answer in French as well. "I know, sir, but there was so much to get done and-"

"Oh, yes, yes I know. But for now, just be proud that you did so well with the negotiations today as the Vongola heir and get some rest. I'm sure Reborn will leave you alone just for today." It was German now.

He winked, then smiled at Reborn. He knew how… _Spartan_ the advisor and tutor could be, especially when it came to teaching Tsuna the proper ways of the heir of Vongola. After all, Timoteo himself had been the one to teach Reborn his ways.

"Yes sir," Tsuna replied in the same language, seemingly not even noticing the switch.

"Now, go back to the mansion and get some rest. And if I see you in here any earlier than nine…" Timoteo trailed off in Japanese, not bothering to finish his sentence.

Tsuna glanced at him, then Reborn, then gulped.

"I'll be going now, then." He bowed to both Timoteo and his tutor- who had been watching the entire multilingual exchange with amused eyes from beneath his fedora, and maybe even a hint of pride in Tsuna's language skills. As he walked out the door, he heard the president say to Reborn, "I'm sorry, my friend, but it looks like you will be getting even less sleep than Tsunayoshi today. Aria has called an Arcobaleno meeting…"

Tsuna shuddered as he walked away, feeling a wave of sympathy- just a tiny one- for his devilish tutor. He knew how long the Arcobaleno meetings could be, seeing as how they were one of the most important groups that made up Vongola.

The Vongola Co. was a world famous company that had its branches reaching into almost everything imaginable- fashion, hotels, technologies, weapons, music, and more- and it was run by the three main groups of the company, knowns as the groups of the Trinisette. The Arcobaleno- the group that consisted of Reborn and six others- was one of the three groups. They managed the creation and production of new products and ideas. The CEDEF looked over the business portions of the company. All the stocks, investments, business dealings, lawsuits- they were CEDEF's part in Vongola.

Then, there was the big boss of them all- the CEO and his advisors. They were referred to as the Guardians of Vongola, because that was pretty much their job description. Everything had to be run by them before anything could be done. They were the big decision makers, as well as the faces and representatives of the company. And Tsuna would soon inherit the top position from Timoteo, the current and ninth CEO of Vongola Co.- hence the title Nono. Soon, Tsuna himself would be referred to as Decimo, meaning he was the tenth CEO to be in charge of the entire company. His naming ceremony would announce him to the world as the official company heir, and it was set for the day after his 24th birthday, which was coming up in just a few weeks. However, before he could become the actual CEO of the company, he needed to complete a certain task.

He had to find and appoint his six advisors, his most trusted people to run the company by his side.

-x-x-x-

_The first day of his last year of middle school. It was odd how beginnings could always be the end, and the end always a beginning. He grabbed his schoolbag in one hand and his toast in the other, and flew out the door with a hurried greeting to his mother._

_Turning the corner onto the next street, he crashed into a firm chest. Tsuna staggered back, then looked up to find himself staring up at a blinding grin. "Ahaha, sorry! I wasn't watching where I was going..."_

_The scene melted away, and Tsuna was now running at blinding speed through the hallway, away from a terrifying killing intent. When he scrambled through the doorway into his homeroom, he found himself flying through the air one moment and sprawled on top of someone the next. "Owww..." He groaned. He looked up to see a flash of silver before a hand adorned with many (painful) rings punched him off onto the floor._

Tsuna sprang up, gasping. He gingerly touched his face to make sure there were no ring imprints or bruises developing on the soft skin. _It's been awhile… _he mused in the silence of his large room. He sighed, then blinked as he realized through his sleepy mind how bright it was in his well-furnished room. He looked around through squinted eyes from his king sized bed and attempted to locate the source of light. It wasn't the chandelier, or the lavish lamp that stood next to his desk- a nice mahogany piece- and the lights in the adjoining bathroom weren't on either... And the large glass windows that stretched from the floor to the ceiling were lighting up the room as they let the bright sunlight in.._. Sunlight!?_ Tsuna thought with a start. _That means... Oh no, what time is it!?_

He scrambled out of his bed and landed in an ungraceful tangle of limbs. Hurriedly gathering himself up, he grabbed his phone- the latest prototype from Vongola Co., of course- from the bedside table to check the time. The screen showed that he was late. Very, very, very late. The only reason Tsuna didn't scream was because one could never know whether Reborn was watching or not, a fact that he'd had the unfortunate privilege to experience on several occasions.

Mentally shrieking in his head, the now fully awake heir scurried to his enormous closet- one most people would be quite envious of- and yanked down a plain white dress shirt from its hangar. Also grabbing some black slacks and his favorite belt, he hopped around as he tried to put on his pants while searching for his dress shoes. He'd just thrown them off yesterday and collapsed into his bed, but now he regretted doing so, since he didn't see them _anywhere_. After finally slipping on his pants and tucking in his shirt, he spotted his shoes lying underneath his desk. He rushed over and slipped his feet into them, then stood up and realized he didn't have any socks on. He hit himself on the head, grabbed a pair of socks from his dresser and his briefcase from his desk and ran out of his room into the hallway of the Vongola Mansion.

The mansion was the home of most of the members of the Trinisette and a few select people- such as the heir to the company, who wasn't really considered a member of the Trinisette. The large building was located in the forests on the outskirts of Milan, about a half an hour's drive away from the main Milan offices. Tsuna silently thanked Nono for giving him a room on the second floor- if he had to run down the stairs from the sixth floor, the very topmost floor of the mansion, he'd be an extra thirty minutes later than he already was.

When he reached the lobby, he took careful care to avoid glancing at the portraits of the seven original founders of Vongola Co.- Primo and his Guardians. He disliked looking at them because the uncanny resemblance the guardians bore to those he once knew was painful.

He burst through the doors and found his chauffeur waiting with the car at the foot of the steps, in the giant circle of pavement that led up to the mansion. He lept into the car and said breathlessly, "Drive, Thomas-san, drive!"

His chauffeur obliged, and soon they were speeding along towards the Milan Vongola Offices.

Thankfully, when he arrived, Nono was completely fine with his tardiness and Reborn was nowhere to be found- a miracle for Tsuna- so he just trudged into his office to finish the paperwork for the project the president had assigned him to.

-x-x-x-

Tsuna nervously drummed his fingertips atop his office desk, unable to keep his nerves back. The heir-in-training would soon be the official heir in just six days, so therefore, whenever he had the time to think to himself, he became increasingly nervous at the thought. It was real. It was happening. He was going to be the official heir to the most successful company in the world.

And he still didn't have a single guardian by his side.

He was so screwed.

In past generations, the heir always had at least two or three trusted advisors- sometimes all- by the time the naming ceremony came around, so of course Tsuna would be the one to ruin that tradition by being a total loser. Who didn't have any friends outside of the company.

His life sucked.

And what's more, he'd always had in mind the people who he knew would make perfect guardians, right from the start.

But they'd never want to do it. They hated him- after all, he was the one who had left them and vanished without a word. He had no right to bring them back to his side, after all those years. He broke his promise, and now he was paying for it.

Before he could spiral down into more depression, he was snapped out of his thoughts by the voice of his secretary. "Mr. Sawada, sir, the ceremony prep team is here," Lydia called out from the other side of the doors.

"Send them in," Tsuna replied, immediately straightening up in his chair and emptying his mind of all thoughts except for business.

The ceremony prep team was a select group of leaders who would help him prepare everything he needed for the naming ceremony. From the reception to the official ceremony proceedings to the press- everything was to be decided and arranged by him and the team, as tradition stated. The final decisions were made by him- the CEO now didn't really have a choice in the matter, since this was considered the heir's first official project.

The double doors opened and five people, all dressed in fine business suits and skirts, strode in and halted in front of Tsuna's desk. They bowed in unison and Tsuna nodded back. He gestured at the various chairs and couches laid out in an orderly fashion in front of his desk. The five arranged themselves onto the seats, then Alfonse, a sturdy, middle-aged man addressed him. "Mr. Sawada, we have several items which need your confirmation. First, the reception…"

Alfonse nodded towards the two women of the group, who stood up and opened up the files they had in their hands. Janet, a woman in her late twenties, read a list of the food courses that Tsuna could pick from. Her hazel eyes shifted from the paper to Tsuna's as she walked over and handed him a copy of the list.

Scanning the foods, he was unsurprised that the Vongola chefs had listed their top foods as his choices for the reception. "Hmm…" he mused aloud, then sighed. "Janet, could you just pick a culturally diverse selection for me? Honestly, the food is not something I'm worried about- the Vongola chefs will do an amazing job with it as always, I'm sure."

Janet, who was also the vice president of Vongola Co.'s restaurant branches, nodded in appreciation with a smile gracing her features. Julia, who was in charge of the entertainment for the reception, spoke as Janet settled back down onto the couch.

"For the evening's entertainment, I've gathered a list of skilled musicians and performers to entertain the guests. Several of them are here now, so I was hoping you could approve of some of them?" she said questioningly.

"Of course," Tsuna smiled, his charisma flowing freely throughout the room.

"Then I'll start sending them in one by one, sir," she bowed as she walked briskly out of the office.

Just a few minutes later, a knock resounded at the doors, and Julia walked back in with someone trailing behind her.

As soon as he stepped through the doors, the person bowed deeply and said in a rough voice, "It is a pleasure to meet you, sir! I am honored to have been considered as a candidate to perform at your ceremony!"

Tsuna, who had frozen upon seeing the silver head of hair as soon as he'd walked through the doors, had the color rapidly draining from his face as soon as the bowing figure lifted his head.

Julia said, "Mr. Sawada, this is-"

"Haya-" he cut himself off and tried again, "Gokudera-san," Tsuna said weakly, his face bearing an expression of disbelief and shock.

Gokudera's expression morphed from one of excitement, to extreme shock, to controlled rage, which surprised Tsuna. _He's changed… Matured… But of course he has, it's been almost ten years…_

-x-x-x-

**Anddd CUT! The first chapter of this story ends in a (kind of) evil cliffhanger!  
****Wow.. 3,000 words. I was aiming for 2,000 and I ended up with this…  
****Warning: slow development ahead. Be prepared for some major drama and.. stuff. Don't I have wonderful vocabulary, people?  
****In case anyone is confused: CEO and President and Nono (the number titles) are all used interchangeably here. The titles CEO and President refer to the same person in business, and writing this didn't feel right without the use of Nono (or the other number titles, like Decimo). And I know that you might think that calling CEDEF part of the Trinisette is a little weird, but trust me, you'll understand when we get a little further into the story. And besides, it's my plot, so I can do what I want. –evil laughter- If anything else confused you, feel free to leave a review or pm me! And if you see any mistakes, please let me know!  
****Or just leave a review, you know, be nice. Maybe I'll update faster and kill the suspense a little quicker. –wink-**


	2. Chapter 2: Whereabouts

**Phew, got it up before the end of today. Happy reading.**

**-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-**

Tsuna stared at the man who he had no right to call "friend" anymore. Gokudera had grown, his features more mature than the last time he'd seen him many years ago. The slight chubbiness that had been apparent in his cheeks when they were teens was gone, thinned out to show prominent cheekbones and a sharp jaw line. His silver hair was slightly messy and untamed, and he still stood taller than Tsuna, even though the brunette had grown over the years. He was dressed for business- black slacks, leather shoes, and a plain white dress shirt, with a black suit jacket on top.

Gokudera's features were completely stiff- Tsuna could _feel_ the enraged aura that emanated from the man. He just stared at the black tie the pianist was wearing, afraid to meet his eyes.

"You…" Gokudera gritted out, obviously trying to control his tone. "You're the Vongola heir?" His voice had deepened slightly since his teenage years, smoother and less gruff than before.

"Ah, y-yeah," Tsuna replied, feeling weak in the knees. He could feel the hatred and rage rolling off the pianist in waves, and was severely saddened by it. But then again, he knew deserved it; he deserved all the grudges and hatred that Gokudera harbored against him.

While the two were lost in their own world, the five forgotten prep team members stared, clueless, between the two. Alfonse hesitantly said, "… Mr. Sawada, sir?"

The heir flinched at the interruption as he was reminded of the presence of the others who were occupying the room as well. "… I'm sorry, but could you all leave us for a few minutes?"

They hesitated, but when they noticed the silent tension surmounting in the room, they quickly backed out of the room without a word. When Julia shut the door, Tsuna finally met Gokudera's eyes fully. Those piercing green eyes were just as he remembered them- except, they were hard, cold and unforgiving, even more so than their first few encounters all those years ago.

"Well, _Sawada-san_," Gokudera spat out- Tsuna could just feel the bitterness that twisted and intertwined itself within the words, "I didn't expect to find you here."

"I-it's been a while, hasn't it…" Tsuna barely got out- his throat felt so clogged up with hesitation and anxiety. He honestly wasn't sure what to do. It felt like he was sitting on a bomb, without knowing what he said or did could set it off to explode. His feelings were swirling throughout his mind. Shock, hesitation, guilt, regret, sadness, and an over powering _joy_. He knew he had no right to, but he was so overjoyed at seeing his old friend once again. _Of course_, he thought sadly, _I have no right to be happy, and Gokudera just hates me, I can just feel it._

Unknown to Tsuna, the person standing in front of him was going through a similar confusion of emotions- albeit, the emotions weren't the same as the heir's.

Gokudera just stared at the person who had disappeared from his life in bitterness, anger, hatred, and confusion. He was so confused. Why was this person here, of all places? How could he have disappeared from him all those years ago without saying a word? Was the reason he left… to become the heir? The conclusion dawned on Gokudera- of course, he'd left him, left everyone, to become the Vongola heir. He'd _chosen_ to go for the riches and _chosen_ to break his promises. Confusion swiftly morphed into unbelieving rage.

"So," he spat out. His words tumbled over each other in an attempt to voice his fury and rage.

"_This_ is why you left us? Left _me_? To become the heir of this company? You left me, left everyone, broke all the promises that meant the world to us, for the riches this position offered you?! _How could you?!_"

By the time he was finished with his voicing his thoughts, his voice had escalated to volumes that shook the room, and his face had turned red with fury. Tsuna paled at the accusations. "N-no, Gokudera-san, please, hear me out-"

That set the pianist off on another explosion of angry retorts.

"You could have at least told us, at least explained why you were abandoning us, why you chose to leave us for this _new, wonderful_ life of riches and fame! Yet, nothing! Not a word, a letter, a 'goodbye,' an apology, _nothing!_"

He could no longer hear any of Tsuna's protests, all he could do was rage and spite and release all the emotions that had been building up inside him throughout the years, pent up without a way of escape. He had been betrayed, abandoned, thrown away by the person he had believed and trusted the most, the person who had been his life. That pain was something he would never forgive Tsuna for.

"Wait, please, let me explain-" Tsuna tried again, tried to voice his thoughts in the hopes in at least breaking through Gokudera's mind that was clouded with rage.

"… Explain?" Gokudera's voice dropped sharply in volume and pitch. This scared Tsuna so much more than the loud, ranting yelling.

"You had the choice, all those years ago, to explain or not. You left without a word. The time for explanation is over," he glared, talking in a quiet, tense tone.

He swiftly turned away from Tsuna, who was frozen in place with eyes shining in desperation, and headed for the door. As he reached to open it, he suddenly clenched his fists and stopped.

"… By the way," he said slowly, looking over his shoulder back at the trembling heir, "I will never, _ever_, play for you again. Promise breaking scum like you don't deserve to hear anything I have to offer."

He never looked back as he briskly stepped out of the office and out of Tsuna's life once more. The door slammed shut behind him.

"… I know, Gokudera-san. I know."

Tsuna whispered the words, still staring at the heavy doors that Gokudera had just departed through. He rested one elbow on the desk in front of him and leaned his face into his hand. And in the lonely silence of his office, Tsuna's sobs echoed throughout the room. He sobbed in frustration at his inability to voice his thoughts. He sobbed in guilt, knowing all the hateful words that had been thrown at him were true. He sobbed in sadness, because he'd just lost his friend for the second time.

**-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-**

As soon as the silver-haired pianist had stormed off down the hallway, the prep team members attempted to go back into the office. However, before they could take one step towards the door, a figure stepped abruptly in front of them. "I think you should discuss the preparations later," Reborn drawled, hand drawing the famed fedora down towards his face.

Shadows loomed across his face, even though the hallway was brightly lit, and there was a dark aura enshrouding the famed Arcobaleno member. Without a word, the team walked away, Reborn's authority overpowering their curiousity.

The tutor sighed quietly as he heard the muffled sobs grow louder through the heavy doors. Adjusting his fedora once more, he slipped into the room and found the sight of Tsuna with his head down on the desk. His arms were wrapped around him, as if he was trying to shield himself away from whatever he was going through right now. He was trembling, and sobs wracked through his body.

Reborn strode over silently to his side then proceeded to slap Tsuna back to his senses. Literally.

The heir shot up, his tears of sadness quickly turning into tears of pain. "O-OW!" he cried out. He grabbed his cheeks- they now had matching sets of rapidly reddening handprints imprinted on them.

"Reborn!" Tsuna's tear stained face grew even paler than it had been previously and he quickly rubbed the wetness on his face away. His tutor did not take kindly to crying- something he knew from experience. Painful experience.

"Dame-Tsuna," Reborn said in a biting tone. Unfortunately, that nickname had stuck with him since middle school, and Reborn showed no intention to stop using it anytime soon.

"Why are you sitting here, bawling like a baby?" Sharp obsidian eyes glinted from underneath the shadows of his fedora, and Tsuna shivered.

"I-I don't know h-how I'm going to do t-this," Tsuna stuttered, his eyes still glistening. "I- Gokudera-san is s-so a-angry…"

"Well he has the right to be furious and bitter and every other hateful emotion you can think of, plus more," replied his tutor. Reborn was definitely not one to soften his words, and even though Tsuna knew this, his depression plummeted down even more at the words.

"I know…" came the whisper. The brunette hung his head low, not wanting to meet Reborn's piercing eyes- his tutor could always see into his mind through those piercing black eyes of his.

"Che. Is that all you can say? You knew this would happen. You knew that he would feel this way. You knew, and you still betrayed the complete trust he had in you. He thinks of you as complete trash now."

Tsuna couldn't help but wince at the harsh words.

"But, you had a reason. What happened to your determination? What happened to that burning resolve that you had when you left them in order to save them? He hates you right now- and the others do too- but you knew this would happen. Now it's time for you to act, to start mending those broken promises. This was your plan, your resolve. So why are you breaking down in the first step, Dame-Tsuna?"

Tsuna swung his head up sharply and stared at his tutor. Reborn was right. He had left knowing that they would hate him. But he had left for them, so that in time, he would be able to give them their lives back.

And now was that time.

Reborn watched as the burning resolve came back into Tsuna's eyes for the first time since the heir had left his home and his friends behind.

**-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-**

Six days later, Tsuna arrived at the Vongola Headquarters to find a sea of flashing cameras and shouting reporters, barely being kept off the red carpet that led up to the entrance. Bodyguards and barricades were being pushed back, inch by inch. Bluntly put, it was complete chaos. As his chauffeur opened the door for him, the nervous heir took one deep breath and steeled his nerves- immediately, his appearance took on a calm, collected and charismatic manner. He stepped out of the car and the voices swelled to unimaginable heights. A few of the women reporters swooned upon his appearance- time had certainly been kind to Tsuna.

Gone was the scrawny, pale appearance of his younger years. Now the brunette stood at a good 5'8", after finally having hit his growth spurt a few years ago. His skin was slightly tan, not pale, and the suit he was wearing fit him nicely- his figure was not too large, not to gangly. He had built up some slight muscles over the years, thanks to Reborn's Spartan training, but they did not show through his slender arms. However, most were staring at his face. The years had smoothed away the slight fat that had been present during his school years, and his features had become more pronounced- a slender jaw line, a perfectly sculpted nose. His lips were curved into a gentle smile, but what drew the reporters in the most were his eyes.

Those eyes were no longer the girly, doe-like eyes that had gotten him often ridiculed by his classmates. Now, they were slightly narrower, and the warm brown orbs seemed to exude charisma that warmed one's soul as he nodded to each reporter who met his eyes.

Tsuna continued to walk down the red carpet, smiling all the way as he drew closer and closer to the entrance. With each step, his anticipation grew more and more. After today, the whole world would know who he was.

Most of the time, the naming ceremony was even more hectic than the official inheritance ceremony, when Tsuna would become the actual CEO of Vongola Co., because before this ceremony, the world did not even know who the heir was. It was Vongola's most highly kept secret, with only a few select employees knowing who the heir was. These people were under Omerta- the vow of silence. If they leaked the identity of the heir out to anyone before the ceremony, they would be immediately kicked out of Vongola Co., no matter who they were. Tsuna himself hadn't been able to tell anyone who he was either.

He stepped inside the building and made his way to the press conference room. Today, first there would be a press conference to reveal who he was to the world. After, the official naming ceremony would take place, followed by the reception- a party of sorts where possible future business partnerships could be made between the future CEO and another company. It would also be his first social function, and it was quite important because it was the first impression he was making to the people of the business world.

Right now, though, he was worried about the press conference. _What if they ask me a weird question? What if my answer is rude or terrible or awkward? Will they think I'm a bad person? Will I say the right things? What if I trip on the way in? What if the cameras explode? What if my hair catches fire? What if… HIEEEEEE!_

His mental breakdown was not visible as he walked confidently through the conference room doors, but as soon as he scanned the room and met eyes with Reborn, who had arrived earlier, he knew his nervousness had been detected. Taking a deep breath, he walked to the front of the room and sat down at the table there, next to Nono. The elder man smiled down at Tsuna encouragingly, but before he could speak to him, the reporters and cameramen flooded into the room from outside. The cameras were rolling- they were live. The press conference was now underway.

"Good morning, ladies and gentlemen," Timoteo spoke into the mic in front of him as the noise quieted down. Tsuna could feel his throat become dry already, and longed to reach for the bottle of water in front of him. But he sat still, looking calm and collected, as the current CEO continued.

"Now, I'm sure everyone here knows why we are all here this morning, and I'm also sure that many of you have guessed who this young man seated next to me is," he said.

"I'd like to introduce the future CEO of Vongola Co." He met Tsuna's gaze and gave a slight nod of his head.

Tsuna rubbed his sweaty palms against his lap discreetly under the table. "Good morning, everyone. My name is Tsunayoshi Sawada, and after today, I will be the official heir to Vongola."

Upon hearing his deep, gentle voice, many women swooned once more, but quickly recovered to join in with the rest of the shouting. Tsuna felt dizzy as the voices only grew louder and louder, bombarding him with questions, and the sea of cameras continued bursting with bright lights.

_Breathe in, breathe out._ He nodded at a red haired reporter in the front, whose question he could actually hear over the rest. "Mr. Sawada! How did you become the heir to this great company?"

The brunette smiled and leaned towards the microphone in front of him. "It turns out that I am directly related the Primo, the great founder and first CEO of Vongola Co. The company tracked his family tree down to me, and offered to train me to become the future CEO. I accepted, and that is how I ended up here."

"Mr. Sawada! Mr. Sawada!"

The reporters began to call for his attention once again. Tsuna nodded to a slim woman in the back, whose eyes shone with curiousity.

"Mr. Sawada, how old are you now? You look to be very young, perhaps the youngest heir in many generations!"

He nodded. "I have been told that I am the youngest heir in generations- in fact, I celebrated my twenty-fourth birthday just yesterday."

A few eyes widened in shock at his statement. The only CEOs who had been under thirty years of age when they became the heir or CEO were Ottavo, the eighth CEO and the current CEO's mother, and Primo himself. In fact, if Tsuna became the CEO next year, he would be the same age as Primo when he founded the company.

As the voices rose again, Tsuna nodded at a young man with startlingly blue eyes. However, as soon as the man opened his mouth to speak, a feeling of dread came over the brunette. "Mr. Sawada, will you be revealing who your guardians will be anytime soon?"

_Damn._ He flinched inwardly, but kept a smile plastered to his face. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Nono nod with the tiniest movement of his head- the signal that it was okay for Tsuna to tell the truth.

"Well, I know it is unprecedented, but I do not have any guardians as of right now. "

The questions came at him at rapid speeds, the reporters dying for answers. The youngest heir in generations, and he was without a single guardian during his naming ceremony? What exactly was this man like? They were surprised as Tsuna continued to speak, staring straight into the cameras as if he was addressing someone specifically.

"But, I would just like to say this- I intend to keep some old promises."

**-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-**

Sharp gray eyes glared at the live broadcast playing on the screen in front of him. He continued glaring, as if glaring at the person on the screen would actually affect him halfway around the world.

"Chief! Chief!" A panting figure scrambled into the office. "There's been a-"

He froze as the glare shifted from the screen to him. _Oh gosh, bad time, bad time!_

"I-I'll just go to the vice, then," he whimpered, dashing out of the office even faster than he had on the way in.

The glare shifted back to the screen.

On the desk in front of him, a nameplate read in shining sterling characters:

_Commissioner General of the National Police Agency of Japan_

_Hibari Kyoya_

**-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-**

Gokudera watched the live broadcast with a scowl marring his face. "He's probably enjoying himself up there, enjoying the fame and attention," he muttered.

He sat on the couch in his small apartment, seething, but when the figure on the screen smiled into the camera, he felt a sharp pang through the anger that was boiling within him.

"Hayato-chan, I'm home~"

The sound of his roommate slamming the apartment door shut turned his attention away from his thoughts.

"Damnit, Shamal, for the last time, don't call me that!"

**-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-**

The hectic noises of the city streets drifted up into his hotel room through the open window as Ryohei blinked as he stared at the figure on the screen. "Extreme…" he muttered.

He exited the room in sweats, and proceeded to head towards Central Park. A nice 200 laps around would help him clear his mind of the emotions that were swirling around in there.

**-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-**

"Lambo!" Tsuyoshi called from downstairs. "Time for dinner!"

The teen barely heard him from his room. He had been sprawled on the bed, flipping through the channels, but as soon as he had seen the familiar face, he had sprung up, staring at the screen in shock.

"Otou-san, can I go to Italy?" he called back in a dazed voice.

**-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-**

"Oi, rookie! You alright there?" the coach called into the locker room upon seeing the figure staring up at the TV screen in there.

Yamamoto nodded without a word, his brown eyes expressionless.

The coach shrugged- he was used to the lack of emotions. The super rookie just didn't smile.

**-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-**

The remote dropped to the floor as Chrome stared at the television, all thoughts of studying forgotten. Her roommate looked up from the medical textbooks that surrounded them both. "Oi, Chrome you alri-"

She stopped when she saw the familiar face on the broadcast. "Oh."

Chrome started upon hearing her friend's voice. "I'm fine, Hana. Just fine," she replied softly, not taking her eyes off the screen.

**-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-**

From his vantage point in the corner of the recreation room, Rokudo Mukuro stood leaning against the wall and stared at the large screen across the room. His heterochromatic eyes glinted. "So that's where you went, Sawada Tsunayoshi," he mused.

"Oi oi! It's dinnertime folks. Get a move on!" the prison guards ordered from the entrance of the room.

Mukuro chuckled to himself.

_Soon._

**-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-**

**Oh, I changed the inheritance ceremony to the naming ceremony, because the inheritance ceremony should be when Tsuna becomes the actual CEO (duh). Silly me.**

**So now you have a tiny, tinytinytiny glimpse of what the others may or may not have been doing over the years. I know you guys are probably frustrated with me- Rainy, WHERE ARE THE DETAILS?!- but until Tsuna gets their stories, you guys aren't getting them either. –evil laughter- Like I said, slow development, lots of mystery and suspense. **

**Thank you, thank you thank you to everyone who reviewed/ favorited/ subscribed last chapter! I even got a C2, which made me super happy. Thanks guys.**

**Reviews are motivation- look how this one almost came late. –hint hint.-**


	3. Chapter 3: It Begins

The day after the naming ceremony, the official heir of Vongola Co. walked into his office and was promptly knocked over by several very large bags. He would've screamed, if it weren't for the fact that Reborn was right behind him boring holes through the back of his head. Eyes wide, he stood up shakily to see that his office had been taken over by large, lumpy bags, some of which were knocked onto their sides and spilling out their contents- letters.

Lots and lots of letters.

Jaw dropping in shock, he struggled to form words to express his astonishment. "Reborn, w-what is this?!"

He found himself on the floor once more, sprawled out at his tutor's feet. "OW! Reborn, why'd you smack me?!"

"As the official heir to Vongola, you can't stutter anymore, you dame-heir," Reborn said coldly, black eyes glinting from underneath his ever-present fedora.

Tsuna flinched, then got back up onto his feet once more. His shock soon turned to curiosity, and he grabbed the nearest letter and tore it open.

_Dear Mr. Sawada,_

_PLEASE MARRY ME OHMYGOSH YOU ARE THE HOTTEST THING TO EVER WALK THIS EARTH YOUR EYES SPARKLE AND GLOW AND ARE THE WARMEST CHOCOLATE COLOR AND YOUR LIPS ARE SO PERFECT AND PLUMP AND PINK AND I REALLY WANT TO-_

Tsuna stopped reading there, and his face took on a pale green shade, much to Reborn's hidden amusement. The brunet quickly dropped the letter as if it was burning his hands.

"Welcome, Dame-Tsuna," Reborn said with a gesture to the bags, "to the life of being the Vongola heir."

Before Tsuna could say anymore, a figure burst into the room. He paled upon seeing the sight of three more bags, all bursting at the seams, being dumped onto the floor. Colonello straightened up with a grimace. "Man," he groaned, "You have _a lot _of fanmail, kora!"

Colonello was another Arcobaleno like Reborn. However, unlike Reborn- who had a somewhat Spartan-like business attitude- Colonello was a more militaristic guy, hence the green military-style jacket and pants he wore to work everyday. Black combat boots and green camouflage bandana wrapped around his head completed the look. Tsuna had yet to see him in a suit, or with his messy blond hair tamed down for formality.

"Fanmail?" cried Tsuna. "Is this all fanmail?! Why? What did I do to deserve this? These people are crazy!"

"Welcome to the life of being the Vongola heir," grinned Colonello, unknowingly repeating the exact words Reborn had said just seconds earlier.

"Oi, military freak. Stop repeating my words," growled Reborn.

"What? I'm not repeating you, why would I ever repeat you?" Colonello glared back.

Tsuna just stared with exasperation at the two of them. _If only the public knew that the great Arcobaleno fought like 5-year olds…_

Reborn turned his glare from his rival to his student.

Tsuna froze, then stiffly turned away and started to read some more of the crazy letters. _He did not just read my mind he did not that is not humanly possible and as demon-like as he can be he is still human please don't kill me so scary oh god-_

"Dame-Tsuna, you have to read through every single one of these letters and reply to all of them. After all, being polite and kind to the public is good for the image of the company," smirked the tutor.

_He read my mind and he's punishing me for it I swear oh god stay calm-_

"Reborn! I'd rather do ten times more paperwork than I usually have than read and reply to all of these crazy love letters!"

"Ah, but Sawada, they're not all love letters," started Colonello, a grin plastered to his face. "Some of it is fanmail and marriage requests, but there are also hate letters from the guys whose girlfriends broke up with them because of you, letters from the crazy mad scientists who want their inventions to be noticed by the company, requests from other companies that want to form business partnerships for the future, death threats from people who hate Vongola for whatever reasons, letters from-"

"Stop, stop, stop!" cried Tsuna, who at this point wanted to just slink to the floor in despair.

Reborn hid a cat-like grin under the shadow of his fedora and just ordered Tsuna to get to it.

**-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-**

Seven hours and many hysterical breakdowns later, Tsuna was relaxing on the couch in his parents' house. After he had accepted the offer to become the Vongola heir, he and his mother had moved from their cozy house in Namimori to Milan. Nana had been ecstatic, of course, because now she could actually live with her husband- who actually worked in CEDEF, one of the Trinisette groups of Vongola Co. Since he had been so busy in Italy with the company, he was almost never present in their lives, but after the move and Tsuna's deep involvement with the company, the family was now a family once more.

His father, Iemitsu, and his mother did not live in Vongola Mansion- they had politely turned down Nono's offer and chosen to buy an apartment in the city. Tsuna knew his mother loved it here- Milan was one of Italy's most beautiful cities, after all.

The brunet felt his stomach growl as he idly flipped through the channels, staring with bored eyes at the television in front of him. The smell of his mother's delicious cooking wafted from the kitchen to the living room, and now his mouth was watering with hunger. This was his first time visiting Nana in weeks- which was odd, since he'd always thought that he'd be even busier after being announced the official heir. But after he had finished writing all the reply letters- the memory of those horrid letters made him shiver- Nono had simply dismissed him with twinkling eyes and had told him to go visit his family.

So here he was, hungry and waiting. He smiled as he heard his mother's happy humming coming from the kitchen. As he continued to flip through the channels, he suddenly froze upon seeing a very familiar face on the screen.

"-mamoto Takeshi, number 80, steps up to the plate. Now this super rookie has been doing exceptionally amazing his first season, can he do as he has been doing with all the pressure that rests upon his shoulders? It's the bottom of the ninth, folks, and with the bases loaded, this last run all depends on him," rambled the announcer's voice.

Tsuna could only stare at the sight of his old friend as the entire stadium went silent in anticipation. He was standing in position calmly at home plate, knees bent and bat gripped with tense hands. The number 80 was stitched onto his gray Tokyo Swallows uniform, and the heir was startled when he saw a scar running down his chin. A helmet covered his head and cast a dark shadow over hard brown eyes that stared straight at the pitcher. Tsuna could only stare at the screen in worry- those eyes were not the eyes of someone who has enjoying playing his favorite sport.

The lively, spirited eyes he remembered were not present on the face on the screen.

Ecstatic cheering bursting from the speakers startled Tsuna back from his thoughts, and he realized he had missed the hit. He focused his attention back on the screen to find Yamamoto jogging back to home plate to meet his overjoyed teammates, who were all grinning and smiling and patting him on the back in joy.

"And it's a grand slam! The Swallows win 6-3 against the Osaka Tigers, making them the winners of the National Tournament! Now, next week, the Swallows will be going to Italy and playing at Vongola Stadium against the Florence Angels-" the announcer's voice abruptly stopped as Tsuna turned the television off in shock.

After sitting in bewildered silence, his mother's voice calling him to dinner had Tsuna shaking himself back to his surroudings.

"One second, okaa-san!" he called back in a shaky voice.

Seeing that familiar face after so many years shocked him.

However, what broke him inside was the fact that Yamamoto's face had worn an expression of such frigidness and hardness that he had never seen before. He hadn't even smiled once the entire time his teammates were congratulating him.

With a shaky hand, he picked up his cell phone and dialed Nono's number.

"Nono? I apologize if I interrupted anything but… but could you possible give me a ticket to the baseball game at the Vongola Stadium next week?"

**-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-**

Tsuna stepped out of the car and walked towards the Vongola Mansion with depressed steps. His chauffeur glanced at him once with worry, but said nothing to the heir. He had tried to make conversation with him all throughout the drive from Mrs. Sawada's home to the mansion, but his employer hadn't responded once.

When he neared the grand entrance to the mansion, a familiar flash of silver caught his eye. With wide eyes, Tsuna hesitantly called out, "Gokudera-san?"

The man whipped around and started to immediately burn through his head with those piercing emerald eyes. "Sawada-sama," he said stiffly.

The brunet winced at the formality and clear dismissal, but he attempted to start a conversation anyway. "What are you doing here?"

Green eyes narrowed, and a few moments passed before the pianist decided to state the reason for his presence at the mansion. "My father has business with the Varia. I am simply here as the negotiator."

"Oh," Tsuna said.

The Varia… That name always sent a shiver down his spine. A group independent from the Vongola, and yet at the same time not, the Varia worked in the areas CEDEF could not. Tsuna wasn't sure how legal or illegal their work was, but he wasn't going to question them after they saved his life after that one leak of his identity as the heir two years ago.

He shuddered briefly, then opened the doors with his keycard- the security was the best around here, of course.

"Uh," he started to say with a glance at the figure next to him, "Would you like to come in?"

Gokudera's features shifted into an even more annoyed scowl than before, but he slowly started to move through the open doors.

Tsuna immediately headed towards the stairs, but from behind him, he could hear Gokudera's arrival being announced.

"Oiii, sempaiiii! The silver octopus-san is here!"

He missed said octopus's enraged reply, but the unintelligible yells could be heard when he arrived at his room. Sighing, he opened the door- but when he looked into his room he almost, just almost, slammed it back shut immediately again.

"Reborn! What are you doing?!" he barely managed to stop himself from stuttering in shock.

His tutor- fedora, suit, sideburns and all- sat there on his bed, casually- oh so casually- cleaning his gun with a handkerchief. His dark eyes flicked casually to meet Tsuna's brown ones, and then he spoke.

"We need to talk."

**-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-**

a/n: Yeaaaah I'm a jerk. Sorry. Regular updates? What are regular updates?  
-runs away on a magical path of ice.- Like the entire population of girls in the United States, I am currently obsessing over Jack Frost. Rise of the Guardians FTW!  
Back to KHR!. It's over ._. Like, I can't believe it. It kinda really hit me when there was no new chapter this week. … HOW CAN THIS BE –curls up into a ball sobbing- OTL. #fangirlproblems.


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